photo by: Kevin Berg/Photo courtesy of KU Athletics

Defensive tackle Da'Jon Terry looks into the backfield during a Kansas football spring practice, in April of 2021.

The first Kansas football team coach Lance Leipold leads onto the field in the fall won’t include one of his predecessor’s most promising young defensive linemen.

Da’Jon Terry, who would’ve been a redshirt sophomore and was a near lock to start at defensive tackle for the Jayhawks in 2021, announced Wednesday his intentions to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal and leave KU.

Terry, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound defense lineman from Meridian, Miss., shared his decision in a note that he posted to Twitter.

“I want to thank Coach (Les) Miles, the coaching staff and the University of Kansas for letting me play here,” Terry wrote.

“Thank you to KU and the fans for making my time here great,” he added.

Rated a two-star prospect by Rivals when he signed with KU in the Class of 2019, shortly after Miles took over the program, Terry redshirted his first season.

In 2020, the big and agile nose tackle emerged as one of the more important players for the program’s future, showing flashes of potential and even starting two games as a redshirt freshman on the defensive line. Terry recorded 14 total tackles while appearing in eight games, and also made two sacks.

Just this past weekend, Terry delivered two tackles for loss in KU’s spring game.

Leipold stated at his introductory press conference on Monday, “Our plan is to win and win with the players who are here right now.”

Projected as a crucial member of the KU defense in 2021 and beyond, Terry is the first key contributor to decide to transfer as the program transitions to a new regime.

Reserve defensive back Valerian Agbaw Jr. also opted to enter the transfer portal and play college football elsewhere.